February 18 -- I'm On Duty At The Cave Creek Canyon Visitor Info Center

I'm a member of Friends Of Cave Creek Canyon, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote "CCC" and the Chiricahuas. I'm constantly amazed at how little folks "out there" know about this area -- even some of those who are live in the same county (Cochise). And many get us mixed up with the Cave Creek in the Phoenix area. (Someone recently asked about a fire in Cave Creek, thinking it was here; it was in the Phoenix one, of course.) I'm sure part of all this confusion is caused by our relative lack of accessibility and being somewhat "off the beaten path". But Cave Creek Canyon and the Chiricahuas are world-famous among birdwatchers and scientists because of the incredible diversity of both flora and fauna to be found here, which makes us unique even among the rest of SE Arizona's "sky islands". So FOCCC, which is the acronym for the Friends group, is trying to remedy that lack of knowledge among the general public. And part of it is volunteering for many tasks here, from advertising to what I did on Thursday, man the Visitor Information Center at Cave Creek Canyon. FOCCC volunteers staff the "VIC", dispensing information such as hiking trails, local history, travel routes, and where to find many of the area's unique species. My first priority is Faranuf, but I've also wanted to give back something to the community, but it had to be related to the things I enjoy doing -- hiking, birding, photography, and generally outdoor activities. So when I heard about the VIC needing staff volunteers, I signed up. There is pretty much only one person manning it per day, so it can get quite hectic if a lot of visitors drop in at one time. So it was with a sigh of relief that there were only about 10 people dropping in when I was there, and I think that's a perfect for the first day on the job. You not only dispense information, but you're also the janitor, making sure everything is cleaned and dusted. And that there are no critters inside. (Luckily, there were none that day.) The VIC building is interesting all by itself; it, along with the ranger station and well house, is on the National Register Of Historic Places. It was originally the residence for the Portal ranger and was constructed sometime before 1930. The actual ranger station was built but the Civilian Conservation Corps (another CCC) between 1934 and 1935 and uses local river rock to blend in with the surrounding canyon walls. Here's the VIC from the outside --

Recent acquisitions by FOCCC for its use are Internet and WiFi, which otherwise is spotty or non-existent, along with cell phone signals, in the canyon. WiFi is a big thing for visitors as they can sit on the porch any time day or night and get Internet access. And on the inside -- 

There are displays of insects and butterflies (some glass cases dating from the turn of the 20th century), maps, info on Elegant Trogon --  the target bird for many visiting birdwatchers -- snakes, Gila Monsters (listing both "mysteries and myths") and other fauna and flora to be found here. That display in the center of the room is a hand-carved representation of Cave Creek Canyon and the surrounding area here in the east side of the Chiricahuas. It's an invaluable tool in orienting visitors as to the location of sites and roads. Here's the main room looking to the other side --

On the left, behind the door, is the desk for the staffer. There's also a video room where DVDs on the area shown. Going back to the outside, here's the actual ranger station -- 

Isn't that a spectacular backdrop for it? Well, the backdrop for the VIC is not slouch, either -- 

That's Silver Peak. There's also a native garden here that is maintained by residents and FOCCC members. Here are a few more views around the VIC -- 

 The visitors on the day I was there were for the most part from Alaska. A lot of people from the north come down to the Southwest to escape the cold and wet weather, and they've picked a good time as the temps have been in the upper 70s and low 80s lately. One of the more interesting visits I had was when someone came in and said there was an "owl" on the road, and though it went to the side of the road he thought there may have been something wrong with it. I tried calling my friend Helen, who's a wildlife "rehabber", but no one was answering at her house, so the guy went back to the "owl" to check up on it. Turns out it wasn't an owl, but an American Kestrel -- a small falcon -- that had a broken leg. Someone finally got ahold of Helen, who came and took it away. I was there from 9 to 3, but got there early as I wanted to make sure everything was prepared for opening it up. (And since I get up at around 3am anyway, I had plenty of time to do my Faranuf chores beforehand.) I plan to man the VIC in the future, so if you're ever in the area, drop on in. And you should go there anyway, as all the info, displays and hiking brochures will prepare you for the splendors of Cave Creek Canyon and the Chiricahuas. OK, enough of the promoting...